Whicker: Joc Pederson is all over the stadium (and out of it) in Dodgers’ series-opening win

Share this:

The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning during their 8-2 victory over the Rockies on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. Pederson added another homer and a double with three RBIs and three runs scored. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson, right, follows though on his two-run home run during the fourth inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Dodgers left fielder Joc Pederson makes the catch on a fly ball hit by the Rockies’ Pat Valaika during the fourth inning of Monday’s game at Dodger Stadium. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Sound

The gallery will resume inseconds

The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson hits a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning – the first of his two home runs – in Monday’s 8-2 rout of the Rockies at Dodger Stadium. Pederson finished 3 for 4 with a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The DodgersÕ Joc Pederson #31 hits a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning during their game against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Joc Pederson watches his solo home run against the Colorado Rockies during the first inning of a baseball game in Los Angeles, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

The Dodgers’ Joc Pederson rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the first inning during their 8-2 victory over the Rockies on Monday night at Dodger Stadium. Pederson added another homer and a double with three RBIs and three runs scored. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

The DodgersÕ Joc Pederson #31 points to the sky as he crosses home plate after hitting a solo homer in the bottom of the first inning during their game against the Rockies at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Monday, Sept. 17, 2018. (Photo by Hans Gutknecht, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates with teammate Justin Turner #10 after Pederson hit a solo home run during the first inning of the MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on September 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Joc Pederson #31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers looks to celebrate with teammate Manny Machado #8 after Pederson hit a solo home run during the first inning of the MLB game against the Colorado Rockies at Dodger Stadium on September 17, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES — He said he swings against left-handed pitchers in the batting cage nearly every day. Most of the time, it seems like wasted wind.

Joc Pederson does not face lefties in games because he does not hit lefties in games because he does not face lefties in games. It’s like opening a box to find another box.

There is no exit sign on this ramp, so Pederson created his own opportunity Monday night. Because he kicked off the Dodgers’ 8-2 win over Colorado with a leadoff home run, and because the Dodgers knocked Jon Gray out of the game with nobody out in the third, Pederson was allowed to bat against Harrison Musgrove.

He promptly launched his second home run of the game. He also scalded a double down the right-field line to begin the four-run rally in the third, which made it 6-0. He let Charlie Blackmon’s double sail over his head, but then he ran down a line drive by Drew Butera. If there were concerns about what remained in the Dodgers’ tank after a 10-game trip and a 2 a.m. arrival from St. Louis on Monday morning, Pederson swatted them into the seats, too.

“I think that meant a lot to him, getting that home run off the lefty,” Roberts said.

It was Pederson’s 23rd home run. The first 22 came off right-handers. Until this game, Pederson was 8 for 51 against southpaws this year. For his career, he is a 179 hitter with nine home runs, but he has nearly five times more plate appearances against right-handers.

This is basic Dodger philosophy. Get players into prosperous situations and avoid the downside. While some would look at Pederson’s numbers and wonder how they would glimmer if he played all the time, the Dodgers implicitly maintain that he’s taking advantage of good matchups.

Geysers of runs can follow this approach. In the past six games, the Dodgers have scored 8, 9, 3, 17, zero and 8. Hard-throwing right-handers like Gray, if they’re not hitting corners and getting ahead, are easy prey.

Gray retired six of the 14 Dodgers he faced. One of the outs came at third, with some exuberant baserunning by Yasiel Puig, and another was a seed by Enrique Hernandez that was caught by shortstop Trevor Story.

The loss might not have been the worst thing that happened to Bud Black’s squad. Story, who has 33 home runs and 102 RBIs, took a hard swing in the fourth inning and looked plaintively at the bench. He had done something to his elbow and was removed immediately. The Rockies said he would be evaluated Tuesday.

For most of this season, Pederson has been the one Dodger hitter who is markedly better than in 2017. He has 12 more homers than last year, and nearly as many walks, and only seven more strikeouts in 35 more games. In fact, Pederson has now played the same number of games as in 2016 and has 56 fewer strikeouts.

Yet he won’t come close to the 585 plate appearances he had in his rookie year of 2015, when his 26 home runs were counterbalanced by 170 strikeouts and a .210 batting average.

“Last year I was hurt for a little bit and never really got into a rhythm, so it was definitely a frustrating year,” Pederson said. “This year I’ve made an adjustment and have kept making adjustments.”

Last week the Dodgers were facing the palm-in-forehead prospect of getting swept in a three-game series by the Reds. Pederson got them on the board with a home run and they won 8-1. That won’t necessarily be judged a “high-leverage” home run, but it was a mood-lifter, and Pederson is capable of doing that at any time. Left off the NL Division Series roster last season, he went 6 for 20 with three home runs in the World Series.

He also has become Roberts’ usual leadoff man, when he plays.

“I don’t really care where I hit in the lineup as long as I’m getting the opportunity to play,” Pederson said. “I’m just happy to be in there. There are times when I’m not.

“But I keep working against lefties in the cage, so if I do get that chance, I’ll be locked in.”